


Emerald Eyes

by phantomhivemast3r



Category: HetaOni, Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Blindness, FACE Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-09 00:38:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5519057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomhivemast3r/pseuds/phantomhivemast3r
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Deep in the annex of the HetaOni Mansion, England is prepared to fight the monster that lurks in the darkness. The British Nation is ready to show America that he can still be the hero that he used to be. But, heroes always need a weakness… A HetaOni fanfic, taken from Part 16, aka “the England part,” for those of you who understand. Told from England’s point of view, this is a novelization of that now-famous scene.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Emerald Eyes

** Emerald Eyes **

I ran into the annex of the Mansion, grim determination making my legs move faster than they would under normal circumstances. Of course, these were certainly _not_ normal circumstances by any means. I needed to get to the monster before anyone else; once I defeated it, I could get America’s glasses and then that idiot would realize that everything would be alright, despite the overwhelming plague of fear slowly moving its way through the house… And hopefully, if he still wasn’t too stubborn, the boy would at least say “hello” to me again.

I don’t remember what happened in that second time loop- they all start melding together after a while-, but I must have done _something_ to set America off. He had never ignored me this much before, no matter what petty thing we were fighting about at the time, and I could tell that he was extremely upset. Of course, he tried to hide it under a front of anger, for that’s how he deals with tough situations. However, I knew him well enough that I could see past the mask, despite how much he fervently denied this fact. I needed to find out what the issue was, and soon, so everything could go back to a relative state of normalcy; we Nations couldn’t handle anything else unusual at the moment.

Not since we realized what was happening in the Mansion. It was all we could do not to go insane just thinking about all the different time loops, time travel, and other such things that the human mind cannot comprehend…We may be Nations in body, but we are all human in heart and mind.

Warily, I stepped into the room where the monster was lurking- a dark, desolate place filled with an eerie fog that seemed to beckon me forward. Many bookshelves surrounded me in prefect rows; this would be a pleasant sight, had there not been a fine coating of dust on everything that could only appear after years of disuse. I glanced around cautiously, all of my senses on high alert.

Suddenly the monster dropped from the ceiling (God knows from _where,_ in actuality; it could have materialized out of thin air for all I know) and landed in front of me. Startled, I quickly readied a small bolt of magic and thrust my hands forward, hoping to catch the monster off-guard just as it caught me in the same vulnerable position.

_“Sectumsempra!”_ I yelled, and the monster took a slight step back as it was hit with the force of the blow. To my dismay, instead of streams of blood pouring out of its body, this little backwards push was the only effect the spell seemed to have. Recovering in a matter of seconds, the monster let out a low growl of anger and took an even bigger step towards me.

_Even though Japan weakened it and Italy transferred some magic to me… How can it still be so strong?!_ I thought, my green eyes widening as I frantically dodged a swipe from the beast’s hulking, grey arm. My magic should have been enough to at least _stun_ the damn thing for a few seconds; all I needed was a _little_ more time to recoup…

“England!”

Whirling around as an all-too-familiar shout came from the doorway, I blinked in disbelief at the tall, thin figure standing before me. How did America manage to get down here when he couldn’t see a damn thing without his glasses?! I mean, I knew that he’d _eventually_ appear- this was too big of an event for him to miss, what with his ridiculous “hero complex”-, but it should have taken him a _lot_ longer. So why-

Ah. Italy was trailing along behind, the usual, extremely terrified expression on his gaunt face. That explained it; the Italian must have led America right to me.

Wanker.

“ _Tsk,_ you’re already here?” I asked, quickly turning back to face the monster. I silently thanked God for my luck; even those few precious seconds my back was turned could have been the end of me had the monster’s size not made it so slow. I shouted over my shoulder: “Just shut up and watch how great my powers are!”

I could sense America moving towards me, ready to push me out of harm’s way as usual. Ignoring him, devoting my full attention to the beast in front of me, I threw another small bolt of magic at the monster to unsteady it again. As it rocked back onto its feet for a second time, a little more uneasily, I glanced back at America and shot him the fiercest glare I could muster.

This blue-eyed idiot was always trying to be the hero. He seemed to have forgotten that when he was younger, to him, _I_ was the hero. When he was scared, _I_ was the one he would call to get rid of the monsters under his bed. As the years went by, somehow that role had shifted in his mind. But to me, even through all the arguments, battles, and full-scale wars he suffered through, and despite his best effort not to show it, deep down he was still the little boy afraid of the boogeyman in his closet.

However, I knew that he didn’t believe I still had any fight left in me; I was now just an old man whose drive and power had failed him years ago. But _I_ knew that I could handle this; the monster was _nothing_ compared to the might of The Kingdom of Great Britain! It was time to show everyone that this old man still had some strength in this frail body of his.

Now was time to prove that _I_ could still be the hero, too.

“Get back!” I yelled, roughly pushing America out of my way. As he fell to the floor behind me, I caught a glimpse of the shocked expression plastered across his already pale, terrified face. This image instantly imprinted itself onto my mind as I gazed determinedly up at the monster towering before me.

This scared little boy needed me to protect him. Without his glasses, he was essentially blind; there was no way he would be able to fight this beast and succeed, no matter _how_ hard he tried. To beat this…this horrible _thing_ , one needed to have _all_ their wits about them. It was time that I taught America another lesson in the ways of the world- he needed to understand that he didn’t always have to do everything himself; he _could_ rely on others once in a while for help.

This monster in front of me didn’t stand a damn chance.

I closed my eyes, blocking out Italy’s distressed cries and America’s frantic shouts for me to _stop, stop right now before I do something stupid!_ Gathering my magic together, I focused as hard as I could, sending all of it down to my hands and compressing it into a tight ball of energy. When the ball was complete, I looked up just in time to see one of the monster’s dark, clawed hands reach out to slash me.

_“Ow!”_ I winced as blood instantly began dripping out of the shallow cut in my shoulder. Luckily, it wasn’t bad enough to make me lose the magic I had collected together. I snarled at the monster. “How about _this_ , then?!”

“P-please stop…,” America murmured softly. To my amazement, he didn’t try to stop me again. Maybe he knew that this time, I wasn’t going to give in.

“This will be the end of you!” I shouted, focusing on the spell I was about to cast as the monster readied itself for another strike.

“STOP, ENGLAND! DON’T… DON’T DO IT!” America suddenly screamed, grasping at my pant leg, the only thing within his reach. I ignored him and tugged my ankle free from his grip with little effort; nothing was going to stop me now.

_“AVADA KEDAVRA!”_ I yelled with all my might, thrusting my hands forward. The magic launched towards the monster and hit him square in the chest. There was a massive explosion of light, and the monster let out a deafening screech. I smiled slightly, knowing that I was victorious.

The smile still plastered across my face, I turned back to face my fellow Nations as I felt my magic strength flowing out of my body… and then it all went black.

***

For a time- I was unable tell how long it had been, exactly, though it could not be more than a few minutes-, I possessed no sense of anything. I couldn’t smell, couldn’t see, couldn’t feel. I wondered, with a strange sense of calm, if this is what death feels like. Had I finally taken more magic from the Great Void than I should have and paid for it with my life?

Then, as if someone slowly turned up the volume on a radio, I heard familiar voices coming into focus.

“-mazing! You won, England! Look, America, he’s alive!” sounded Italy’s high-pitched cries. Suddenly, I felt the cold, hard ground against my stomach; I must have collapsed forward after I had cast my spell. Surprisingly, my shoulder didn’t hurt anymore; I suppose the cut wasn’t deep enough to have any lasting effects. That was extremely good.

“Y-yeah… I was so scared,” America said quietly. I turned my head towards the voice, surprised that he actually admitted his fear aloud. I wanted to tell him that everything was going to be alright; we would find his glasses, then find the key to the front door and get out of this horrible place. For some reason, though, I still had my eyes closed, and this small fact distracted me a great deal.

“Thank God!” Italy said happily, and I swiveled my head towards him as I slowly raised myself up into a kneeling position. Though my other senses seemed to be intact, I felt that I should be extra-cautious until my sight returned.  “Since we’re here, we might as well go look for your glasses. Let’s see…” Light footsteps bounded away, signaling that Italy was searching another area of the room for America’s spectacles.

“I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” America sighed. Frowning, I angled myself back towards him. Why wouldn’t my eyes open? Was I really so weak that I couldn’t even do that simple thing? But that logic made no sense… how was I able to raise myself off the ground, lift my whole body simply using my arm strength, if I couldn’t even open my eyelids?

“Anyway, I can see now that you really _are_ strong,” America said, but his voice sounded faint. I tried my best to listen, but a tingling sense of panic was starting to send a dull chill through my veins. “You can lecture me later, though I’m _not_ looking forward to it…”

“Y-yeah,” I replied. Then, with a shot of terrified adrenaline that coursed throughout my body, a horrible realization struck me:

I couldn’t open my eyes because they were _already open._

And yet… all I could see was darkness. I scrunched my eyes tight and then opened them wide again, feeling the muscles contract and release, thinking that my vision was just taking an especially long time to come back. However… nothing happened. I tried again, to no avail. Despite how many dozens of times I must have blinked in the next few seconds, I could still see nothing but dark, unwelcoming _black_.

“Your glasses aren’t anywhere around here,” Italy called from what seemed like somewhere far, far away. “Maybe they’re in the other room? I’ll go take a look.”

“’Kay!” America replied, his cheerful nature bouncing back with its usual elasticity.  I heard Italy’s quick footsteps walking away and then the sound of a door slamming. I tried my best to keep a straight face to avoid anymore of the younger blonde’s concern, but on the inside, I felt ready to fall apart.

This wasn’t entirely unexpected; I knew that magic always came with a price, especially magic of such strength as the spell I’d recently cast. The darker and more effective the spell, the more taxing it is on the mind and body of the caster. Had I not practiced magic since childhood, the spell I used would have proved impossible to emit.

However, I never expected the price of this magic to be one of the senses that I relied on the most for… well, for essentially _everything._

“You feel okay to stand up?” America asked suddenly, and it took great effort not to startle at his words. I looked up at him- well, more like angled my head; I sincerely hoped that my eyes were actually gazing in the right direction. Of course, I could still _feel_ them swiveling around in my skull; at least I still retained enough control to move them. But there was no way of knowing whether the direction my pupils were facing was the direction of America.

 I did _not_ want him to know what happened to me. I may have vanquished the monster, but in turn I gained a debilitating, crippling weakness that would take months, if not years, to master. If America knew about it, he would never believe that I was able to protect him _now._

“Yes, I-I’m fine,” I replied, giving him a small smile. The effort it took to raise my lips into a grin proved more taxing than trying to angle my “vision” in the right direction. I felt the other Nation come close and grasp my arm, helping me to my feet. After he made sure I was steady, America released me and took a few steps away. I swiveled my head from side to side, trying to get my bearings, but to no avail.

Suddenly, my knees became weak and I almost fell back down as the realization of what had actually happened to me hit like a brick wall.

I was blind. I would probably, unless by some miracle, never see again. I would have to re-learn how to do _everything_. It would be hard to do the things I loved to do, such as read or cook… However, with time and effort, I would surely be able to accomplish those tasks again. But the most depressing thing about my loss of sight was that I would never get to see anyone’s face again. I would not be able to see Flying Mint Bunny, my Faeries, Uni, or any of my other magical friends… America, Canada… hell, I even felt a twinge of regret that I would never be able to look at _France_ again. I would have to go by my memory…

What did that gorgeous French bastard look like again? What color were his eyes? Green? No… blue. Yes, blue. And his hair… ah, yes, I remembered- blonde. Light blonde. Much lighter than mine, I think… what shade was _my_ hair? I couldn’t quite recall…

“Hey, England, don’t just stand there! Help me look for my glasses!”

America’s loud voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I instinctively turned towards him, realizing with a jolt of sadness that I would not get to see America grow up anymore. Granted, he had already grown quite a bit, but compared to us older Nations, he was still just a child.

America… My scared little boy… The one I raised as if he were my own son… He was getting so big, but there was still _so much_ left for me to teach him…

Tears started to well up in the corners of my eyes, and if I was able to see, my vision would be severely blurred at the present time.

“England!” Out of nowhere, I heard a new voice behind me. Judging by the accent and soft tone, I assumed it was Japan. Turning towards the noise, I quickly wiped away the tears; I could not afford show any form of weakness, lest America might notice.

“Oh, there you are. Problem solved, then?” asked a gruff voice; Prussia, I presumed.

“Did you actually kill the enemy?! All on your own?!” Japan sounded amazed, of course; _no one_ assumed that I would be able to vanquish such a large, powerful foe. I wished I could see the expression on his face…

On _all_ of their faces, for that matter.

“That was really rash,” America chided lightly, coming up next to me. Strangely, it seemed as if I could sense everyone’s presence with extra-sensitivity simply because I could no longer see. I was able to vaguely tell where the three other Nations were in relation to me just by their… “Aura,” I guess one could call it. I never really paid much attention to it before now, although I knew the phenomenon existed.

America laughed, a lighthearted yet slightly tense sound. “But at least we can finally explore the room without worry!”

“Oh? Why is that?” Japan questioned. I remained silent, though I could swear I felt Prussia’s eyes on me. I hoped that his albino eyes didn't sense that something was wrong…

“Because the enemy that was loitering around here is gone…,” America replied, his tone sounding like this should be extremely obvious. I expected him to add “ _duh!_ ” at the end of that sentence, but thankfully he restrained himself.

“The enemy…? How do you know it was the only one?” Japan asked. I could sense everyone instantly tense, including myself. The small Asian Nation had a point… I was so focused on that one monster I never checked to see if there were others around…

“Uh…,” America trailed off blankly. I could imagine him rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he laughed again, nervously this time.

“Wait, where’s Italy?” There was an abrupt, German-accented voice. I jumped slightly; Germany’s presence seemed almost ghostly. I prayed that no one noticed my unusual surprise. “He should have come after you…”

“He went to look for my glasses in that room…,” America replied slowly. Suddenly, a horrible sense of foreboding overcame me, sending an unconscious shiver up my spine. Just as I opened my mouth to say something, there was a low rumble that seemed to shake the whole building. I almost lost my footing but, managing to keep my balance, I turned around frantically and tried to sense which direction the noise had come from.

“That noise! It came from that room!” Prussia yelled, and Japan let out a slight gasp.

“Italy!” Germany exclaimed, and a gust of wind buffeted me as he, Japan, and Prussia all rushed past. America started to move away, too, but in the confusion I lost my sense of direction and couldn’t tell which way he had gone.

So I did the only thing I could think of: I stood perfectly still, closing my eyes instinctively, although it made no difference either way.

“England, we have to-” America ran back over, stopping directly in front of me. I could sense his mood change as his sentence abruptly cut off; he could tell now that something was definitely wrong with me. I wasn’t acting like my usual self, and it was becoming too obvious. I bit my lip.

“England?”

“Y-yeah…,” I said, nodding. I took a quick step forward, hoping that if I moved, America wouldn’t suspect anything more. However, I misjudged the distance between the two of us and ended up slamming into his chest.

“What the-Oh! My Texas! It was right next to you!” America exclaimed, lightly shoving me away. I let out a small sigh; thank God he was easily distracted…

“Why didn’t you pick it up for me?!” I could sense him turn towards me. I blinked, despite the lack of relief this action provided.

“What?” I asked, taken off-guard. The glasses were so close to me and I hadn't even realized that they were there…  “Oh… yeah… is that so?”

“England?” America asked tentatively. He let out a small gasp and I flinched, all too aware of what he must have seen. “D-Don’t tell me you…”

“Wh-what?!” I cut him off, hoping to change the topic and get America’s mind off of what might be wrong with me. I glanced at the ground, averting my eyes as best I could. “Wait a moment, we have to go after Italy first-”

I turned on my heel and started walking away. America ran after me and caught my arm, stopping me from going any farther. Apparently, his attention wouldn’t be diverted any longer.

“E-England…” He gripped both of my shoulders and I could tell that he was looking me straight in the face, probably wearing a very serious expression.

“Wh-wh-what?!” I yelled, trying my hardest to get free. Unfortunately, I was no match for America’s unusual strength. After a little while, I gave up and hung my head, defeated. The younger Nation tentatively released me, but did not move away.

“How many fingers… am I holding up?” he questioned slowly. I blanched. Fingers? I… I couldn’t even tell that he was holding up a _hand…_

“You can answer, can’t you? If you… can see.”

I looked at the ground, ashamed; he had figured it out. My eyes must have given me away; I had the feeling that their bright emerald color was dulled by the cloudy grey of blindness.

I knew that America would find out eventually, but I thought that I could at least hold it off a little longer… Sometimes, he was too damn clever for his own good.

“W-well…,” I responded, not sure what I was supposed to say at this point. Sensing that he was upset at me again, I sighed and closed my eyes. At least this time I knew the reason for his anger: the fact that I neglected to tell him I had been blinded the second I woke up.

“It can’t… be…,” America muttered weakly, sounding utterly defeated. I was alarmed; I had never heard him sound so distraught before; it sounded like he was on the verge of crying… It actually _scared_ me. I looked up, hoping that I was staring him straight in the face. 

“I’m sorry, America,” I said, fighting back the alarmingly strong urge to burst into tears; I still needed to be the hero for just a _little_ bit longer.

“I can… no longer see.”


End file.
